Sri Lankan-style Beetroot Curry and Coconut Sambal

Newly arrived from South Africa in the sixties, I met that English abomination: sliced cooked beetroot soused in neat malt vinegar. It put me off beetroot for years. But I’ve come to love it now, particularly raw in crisp matchsticks in a salad with apple, or cooked in a sauce and served with rice. This Sri Lankan curry is a great vegetarian dish for carnivores, because the beetroot has an almost meat-like depth of flavour and is hearty, substantial and satisfying. And the coconut sambal ad